An imaging device (image sensor) used in image pickup apparatuses such as digital still cameras and digital video cameras has a configuration having a color filter array of red, green, and blue, for example. In the image sensor, a correcting process is performed by outputting image data in block on the basis of the same storage period from all the pixels without controlling the storage period of each color, and then calculating sensitivity ratios (white balance, and so on) of respective colors in a processor on the downstream side.
In this case, since the storage period needs to be determined in conformity to pixels having high sensitivity, for example, green pixels, pixels of colors having low sensitivity, for example red or blue pixels might not be capable of using up saturating signals. Although there is a case where gain is applied (signal amplification) to an output signal from pixels having low sensitivity to correct the difference in sensitivity, if the gain is applied, the noise might be amplified together with the signal. Also, a method of varying the storage period by color is also proposed (For example, see Patent Documents 1 and 2).